Music

The Biggest Moments Of The 2021 BET Awards

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The 2021 BET Awards were, as usual, full of surprises, with enough moments that lit up social media to forgive the at-times seemingly slapdash and slightly overlong production (going to commercial during performances should simply not be a thing, ever, especially in a show that ran almost four hours). Whether those moments prompted wig removals, like Jazmine Sullivan’s virtuoso vocal performance of “On It” with Ari Lennox, or roasting, like DaBaby’s bursting-at-the-seams, off-sync rendition of “Ball If I Want To,” BET put on a show worth talking about, pulling its fair share of online buzz even amid an NBA conference finals game with lots of dynamite moments of its own.

With so much chatter throughout the show, though, there will still a few moments that rose above the rest, causing more than just a stir. Instead, they felt more like culture-shifting occurrences, whose residual effects will ripple outward like waves in a pond when a stone breaks the surface. These may end up being the ones that inspire retrospectives as we look back on them as the inciting incidents for huge changes in the way things are. Here are the three biggest moments of the 2021 BET Awards.

Cardi B Announces Her Pregnancy

Joining Migos to perform their Culture III standouts “Straightenin‘” and “Type Sh*t,” Cardi B pulled another pregnancy reveal for the ages, walking out midway through the performance in a rhinestone-studded bodysuit with a sheer midriff to show off her belly. The crowd pop when she does says everything that needs to be said; Cardi is already helping to carve out a new status quo for mothers in entertainment, but adding another child to the mix makes things even more interesting. It’s one thing to be a working artist while pregnant, it’s another to keep working when you have a child, but it’s an another-other thing entirely to get pregnant again, keep working, and still outwork the dudes — including the one who helped make all these kids in the first place.

Lil Nas X Remembers The Times — And Makes Out With One Of His Dancers

When Lil Nas popped out in dazzling golden ancient Egypt-inspired regalia to perform “Montero,” it didn’t take long for Twitter to draw comparisons to Michael Jackson’s 1991 music video for “Remember The Times.” After all, that was the theme for Mike’s video, which despite being way before Nas’ time, is such a fixture of Black culture that I’m sure he’d been exposed to it about 100 times before he hit puberty. So when he broke out into the iconic choreography from that video with his dancers, a thrill of satisfaction shot through viewers’ timelines — then transformed when he called back to another legendary award show moment. In 2003, Madonna, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera made history with a same-sex kiss at the MTV VMAs, solidifying their status as queer icons. I imagine we’ll look back on Nas’ kiss with his dancer the same way, as a watershed moment of representation. Happy Pride!

Megan Thee Stallion Refuses(?) To Perform Alongside DaBaby

This one’s more of a developing situation, but viewers couldn’t help but note that despite their long string of collaborative hits together — including DJ Khaled’s “I Did It,” which they performed last night — Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby’s relationship seems to have strained to the point where at least one of them won’t share a stage with the other. While there could be any number of reasons why Meg slunk off stage after finishing her verse for “I Did It” without joining the group shot at the end (which included DaBaby, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, and HER), considering their recent social media spat, which resulted in Meg unfollowing DaBaby across platforms, it’s almost assured we haven’t seen the end of this saga. One or the other may soon be called upon to address the rather obvious moment — in which case, another round of reactions wouldn’t be out of the question.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Young Nudy Is Taking His Dueling Alter Egos On The ‘Dr. Ev4l Vs. Rich Shooter’ Tour

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Atlanta rapper Young Nudy is taking his dueling alter egos on the road for the Dr. Ev4l vs. Rich Shooter tour beginning this August. The 10-city tour starts in Houston, TX, and ends in Boston, MA, hitting Charlotte, Memphis, Nudy’s native Atlanta, New York, and Philadelphia along the way. The tour is in support of his new album Dr. Ev4l, which features guest appearances from Nudy’s cousin 21 Savage, G Herbo, and Lil Uzi Vert, and is supported by the singles “2Face” with G Herbo and “Dr Ev4l.” 21 Savage appears on “Child’s Play.”

Nudy, who is coming off a successful 2020 in which he released the well-received Anything and featured as a guest on Deante’ Hitchcock’s Better single “Attitude,” enjoyed increased attention thanks to singles like “All White,” “Never,” and “Vice City.” He was also the subject of a viral video of students crashing through the floor of an Airbnb as they turned up to the sounds of his breakout single “EA.”

You can get more information on the Dr. Ev4l vs. Rich Shooter tour here and check out the tour’s dates and venues below.

8/6 — Houston, TX @ House of Blues
8/7 — Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
8/11 — Charlotte, NC @ The Underground
8/12 — Memphis, TN @ Growlers
8/13 — Atlanta, GA @ Believe
8/14 — Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco
8/18 — Silver Springs, MD @ Filmore
8/19 — New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
8/20 — Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
8/21 — Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall

A Knockoff Of Kanye West’s Yeezy Foam Runners Was Removed From Walmart’s Site After A Lawsuit

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Rappers and beef go together like burgers at barbecues, but there’s one recurring foe that rappers have been unable to defeat despite repeated attempts: Walmart’s website. Specifically, third-party sellers on Walmart’s website, who love knocking off rapper’s signature products and trademarks to take advantage of fans who don’t want to pay full price to support their favorite artists’ dreams. Rappers who have had to complain about fakes include 21 Savage, whose Jason Voorhees mask and “Savage” chain designs appeared on the site, and Lil Baby, who went off on the retailer for selling fake 4PF chains, last year.

This time around, it’s Kanye West who has a grievance against Walmart, per TMZ, and instead of chains of dubious quality and origin, it’s Kanye’s infamous footwear line being disputed. Kanye and his brand, Yeezy, filed a lawsuit against Walmart for carrying the “Daeful Mens Womens Kids Summer Beach Shoes” — which were really just fake Yeezy Foam Runners — for $25. The third-party listing was taken down by Walmart, but that hasn’t stopped plenty of other bootleggers from selling their fakes elsewhere, as TMZ notes.

And hey, not to victim blame here or anything, but they’re not exactly the hardest design to copy, and if the market says they aren’t worth the $75 retail price then that might be something Kanye wants to take note of. Why anyone would want them is beyond me (if you’re paying retail for these, you must really value comfort over style), but ironically, Yeezy is facing a lawsuit from Walmart as well, as Walmart claims his new Yeezy logo infringes on theirs due to a very similar look.

Lil Nas X Claps Back At Criticism Of His On-Stage Kiss At The BET Awards

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Yesterday’s BET Awards ceremony was full of memorable moments, but Lil Nas X delivered one of the most notable with his performance of “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).” He ended the performance by kissing one of his male backing dancers, and while the response to the moment was largely positive, there was still inevitable backlash, at which the rapper promptly clapped back.

One Twitter user referenced the performance’s aesthetic theme and wrote, “DONT USE AFRICAN CULTURE FOR SH*TS LIKE THIS!!!!!!! RESPECT OUR ANCESTORS.” Nas replied, “y’all really like to pretend homosexuality didn’t exist in african culture.”

Indeed, a 2015 column from The Guardian cites numerous examples of homosexuality in African culture, from relevant words in local languages to Mwanga II, the king of Buganda from 1884 to 1888 who “was openly gay and faced no hate from his subjects until white men brought the Christian church and its condemnation.”

Elsewhere, another tweeter shared some criticism of the rapper’s red carpet dress, writing, “I’m sure he was paid a million dollars to wear this nonsense. This will cause other little boys that admire him to dress this way for free and I hate seeing men emasculated.” An unbothered Nas responded, “we causing the emasculation of men all 2021.”

Check out Nas’ performance here.

Lil Kim Would Love To Face Off Against Nicki Minaj On ‘Verzuz’

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For years now, there has been tension between Lil Kim and Nicki Minaj, with the former calling the latter a “snake” in 2017, for example. Now, though, the two pioneering rappers could be brought together on one of the most popular platforms of the past year: Verzuz.

In a red carpet interview ahead of the BET Awards yesterday, Kim was asked if she would do a Verzuz show and she responded simply, “Yes.” She was then asked if she had a preferred opponent, and in another succinct response, she said, “Nicki.” The host replied, “I would love to see that,” to which Kim responded, “Yes, me too.”

This lines up with what Kim said in 2017, noting that she would collaborate with Minaj if the price is right. She said, “Some things just can’t be mended unless there’s, like, a different type of conversation. Some people take it too far, some people take it to a point where they try to really deliberately see you in the ground or they still hold on to ‘I’m right.’ A snake is a snake. I’m not gonna try to pick it up because it was being nice to me. […] It’s still a snake at the end of the day. For that situation, it would have to be a business conversation.”

As for the BET Awards, Kim was on hand to pay tribute to Queen Latifah, so check out that moment here.

Megan Thee Stallion Walked Off The Stage Before DaBaby Arrived For Their BET Awards Performance

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The 2021 BET Awards was a smooth sailing affair. The artists delivered great performances and many of the award winners arrived to accept their trophies and give touching acceptance speeches. However, for those who kept a close eye on their TVs during the award show, they might’ve noticed a slightly awkward onstage moment between Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby.

The two rappers were set to perform “I Did It” with DJ Khaled and Lil Baby at the BET Awards, but after an argument broke out between them on social media, it was hard to imagine they’d take the stage together without their somehow settling their differences beforehand. With Megan leading the way on the song, the Houston rapper performed her verse and slyly exited staged right as Lil Baby rapped his verse. By the time DaBaby arrived to perform, Megan was nowhere to be found as Khaled, Baby, and DaBaby were left as a lone trio to bring the performance to a close.

Megan and DaBaby’s rift began after the latter retweeted a post on Twitter about him and Tory Lanez being cool because they “both shot somebody and don’t have to do no jail time.” DaBaby claimed the retweet was accidental, but Megan wasn’t buying his excuse. “Support me in private and publicly do something different…these industry men are very strange,” she said in one tweet. DaBaby replied, “You know like I know I ain’t no “industry” n****.” The two exchange a couple more tweets before unfollowing each other on the social media platform.

You can watch Megan walk off the stage during the performance in the video above.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

DJ Khaled Brought Out Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby, And More For His 2021 BET Awards Performance

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DJ Khaled returned in time for summer with Khaled Khaled, a 14-track album absolutely stacked with major collaborations like Justin Bieber, Meek Mill, HER, Migos, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby, DaBaby, and more. Since DJ Khaled is nominated for Best Collaboration at the 2021 BET Awards, it only makes sense that he would celebrate by bringing Lil Durk, Lil Baby, Megan Thee Stallion, and more to the stage at for his medley performance.

Lil Durk and Lil Baby first kicked off the set to deliver their collaboration “Every Chance I Get.” Then taking the stage, DJ Khaled hyped up the crowd in his typical fashion with one-liners like, “Jealousy is a disease” and “Don’t get mad, get a bag.” Finally, Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby appeared, joined by HER on guitar, to fire off a pumped-up rendition of “I Did It.”

Ahead of his 2021 BET Awards performance, DJ Khaled was invited to record his reaction to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Thot Sh*t” video before it aired. The producer looked incredulous, shaking his head in disbelief and pointing to a new, raunchy era of the rapper’s music. “Yo, they gon’ actually air this? It’s going on YouTube and all that? Nah! Yo. It’s a new world, and it’s definitely a new video,” he said. DJ Khaled’s reaction was pretty spot-on, as Megan’s video featured clips of her twerking on the desk of an old conservative senator.

Watch a clip of DJ Khaled’s 2021 BET Awards show performance above.

Khaled Khaled is out now via The Best/Epic Records. Get it here.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Method Man, Griselda, And More Deliver A Gritty DMX Tribute At The 2021 BET Awards

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It was Method Man who kicked off the the DMX tribute on the 2021 BET Awards, rapping an acapella rendition of one of DMX’s most beloved verses. Then, Griselda Records took the stage to perform a snippet of their new song with DMX, “Hood Blues,” before a succession of X’s contemporaries and admirers, including actor Michael K. Williams, Busta Rhymes, and his own Ruff Ryders crew, including Jadakiss of The LOX, channeled his gritty energy to perform some of his biggest hits like “Ruff Ryders Anthem” and “Party Up.”

DMX passed away earlier this year after an accidental overdose. He was in a coma for a week, during which his contemporaries and fans in the hip-hop world shared an outpouring of well-wishes. Eventually, after he’d passed, it was announced that Def Jam, the label where he’d released groundbreaking classics like It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot, Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood, and And Then There Was X…, put out his posthumous album Exodus, which was named for his son.

Meanwhile, his funeral was held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, with Def Jam footing the bill, where his casket was brought in on a monster truck, and the service featured performances from his daughter (who sang her own rendition of his song “Slippin’”) and the Kanye West Sunday Service choir. DMX’s longtime collaborator Swizz Beatz gave an impassioned eulogy, imploring the assembled mourners to “learn how to celebrate each other while we’re here.”

Watch the 2021 BET Awards tribute to DMX above.

Rapsody And Lil Kim Pay A ‘Ladies First/UNITY’ Tribute To Queen Latifah At The 2021 BET Awards

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Rapsody, Lil Kim, MC Lyte, and Monie Love paid lyrical tribute to Queen Latifah at the 2021 BET Awards as she won a Lifetime Achievement Award, performing Queen Latifah’s culture-defining hits “Ladies First” and “U.N.I.T.Y.” Rapsody and Monie Love opened things up with “Ladies First,” rocking gender challenging looks inspired by athletics, then Lil Kim and MC Lyte rapped “U.N.I.T.Y.,” with Kim ironically being the one to yell the iconic line, “Who you callin’ a bitch!?” The quartet’s tribute was followed by an acceptance speech from the pioneering Queen herself, who shouted out her partner, and wish fans a happy Pride Month.

Rapsody, who’s been a fixture of BET’s award shows over the years, last performed on the network in 2020, at the BET Hip-Hop Awards Cypher, spitting socially conscious bars alongisde Chika, Jack Harlow, Polo G, and Rhythm + Flow finalist Flawless Real Talk. Throughout 2020, Rapsody made impressive appearances on a number of other artists’ projects, including Public Enemy’s What Are You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?, Reason’s New Beginnings, and T.I.’s The L.I.B.R.A., as well as Stevie Wonder’s social commentary, “Can’t Put It In The Hands Of Fate.” Meanwhile, she also made her own social commentary on the song “12 Problems,” ensuring she stayed in the conversation, even without having a new album out.

Watch the 2021 BET Awards tribute to Queen Latifah above.

People Think Lil Nas X’s BET Performance Make-Out Is A Huge Moment For Pride And Queer Acceptance

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Lil Nas X has been breaking down barriers since the beginning of his career. First, he bridged genres between country and hip-hop with his introductory single, “Old Town Road,” then, he broke multiple records with how popular that tongue-in-cheek, campy song was. After that, he became even more influential by choosing to come out, and live openly in his queerness.

Tonight, he raised the stakes even higher by making out with one of his male dancers during a performance of “Montereo (Call Me By Your Name)” at the BET Awards. Calling back to that infamous kiss between Madonna and Britney Spears, it’s a much more powerful statement for a young Black, queer man to do this on national television — during Pride — than it was for those two women back then.

Since it came as such a surprise, fans and celebrities alike are reacting to the moment, uplifting and praising Nas for both his bravery and self-acceptance, condoning his choice to be himself so openly. It shouldn’t be revolutionary for him to kiss another man at an event like the BET Awards, and maybe because of his choice to be so open, one day soon it won’t be. Check out reactions below.